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Sunday, March 31, 2019

Retrospective #54: Loren Cordain, Robb Wolf and Kurt Harris

What do these three guys have in common? If you answered
Paleolithic nutrition, only Kurt Harris, MD would disagree. Harris’s interest
in nutrition was piqued after he read science writer Gary Taubes’s “Good
Calories – Bad Calories,” (“The Diet Delusion” in the UK). At first, he called his
blog PaNu for Paleolithic Nutrition. He subsequently changed the name to
Archevore, deleting the reference to Paleo. Before he disappeared into the
ether 5 or 6 years ago, he said his thinking continued to evolve. His website used to say that his thinking “is not
derived from a single science or field of inquiry, but draws first on medical
sciences like biochemistry and endocrinology, and only then looks back with
history and paleoanthropology.” I liked that. I miss Kurt Harris’s presence in
the blogosphere.

In 2012 other differences between Harris and the
other two is that Dr. Harris hadn’t written a book. Cordain has a PhD in
exercise physiology, and Wolf has a BS in Biochemistry, a popular podcast on
Paleolithic nutrition and exercise, and is a power lifting champ and
weightlifting coach. He worked with Cordain in his biochemistry lab and
describes Cordain as his mentor. Cordain’s book, “The Paleo Diet” (2002) was a
best seller. Before writing this column, I had read the 2011 revised edition. I
had also read Wolf’s book, “The Paleo Solution,” published in 2010.

Both books preach essentially the basic Paleo
prescription: no grains, no dairy, no added sugars, no legumes and very little
salt. Eat only lean meat, non-starchy fruits and vegetables (for vitamins,
phytochemicals and fiber) and mostly monounsaturated and some polyunsaturated
fats. Both diets cut you some slack in
different ways. To induce you to try it, I think, Cordain gives you a day or
two “off diet” a week. Wolf says “just try it for a month” to see and feel the
difference. Cordain allows a little honey; Wolf says, barring autoimmune
problems, “it’s tough to build much of a case against grass-fed butter.” Both
authors advocate lots of exercise.

Cordain’s “The Paleo Diet” is a useful
introduction to the paleo way of eating, as are many online sources. It is
designed for someone who doesn’t want to get “into the weeds” of the science,
and asks the reader to trust in the author’s academic research credentials and
lab staff. He assumes you won’t eat much organ meat, so he substitutes plant
protein for the nutrients you would otherwise miss. He advises that you only
eat “lean meat” and fats mostly from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated
sources, the latter for the essential Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acids. In the
revised edition he says he has “softened his stance on the saturated fat
issue,” allowing that stearic acid, from grass-fed beef, is “healthful,” unlike
palmitic acid “which dominates the fat of feedlot cattle.”

Wolf’s book, “The Paleo Solution,” starts off
with a primer in Paleo biochemistry for the non-geek. His book also has a lot
more energy and is more fun to read. It seems to be geared to a younger
demographic. Interestingly, Cordain’s book makes many references to “fad
low-carb diets,” while Wolf’s target is vegans. Being a long-term Type 2
diabetic and low-carber myself, and acutely aware of the vegan menace in public
health policy making in Washington, I take Wolf’s side on this issue. It is
interesting that both authors seem to need an antagonist.

Cordain’s book has an index but no footnotes. The
bibliography only adds gravitas (and pages) but isn’t divided by chapter, so
there is no way to dig deeper into any of the claims made. It includes brief
menu and recipe sections.

Wolf’s book has no index and no footnotes, but
the bibliography is divided by chapter. His menus incorporate some recipes.
Both books are simply commercial tracts, with their primary purpose appearing
to be sales revenue.

My favorite of these three, though, is easily the
little-known Dr. Harris. His approach is so sublime. He said on his website, “An
Archevore is someone who eats based on essential principles, and also someone
who hungers for essential principles. Take your pick.” And, “After hearing Gary
Taubes on the radio, I had an epiphany and ever since I've been exploring the
field of nutrition through the lenses of medicine and evolutionary
biology.” And, “I have had a lifelong interest in science and medicine as
culture, and believe all claims to scientific authority should be subject to
thoughtful skepticism.” How can you not like this guy? His intellectual
curiosity is the driver; the scientific method his “mechanism”; his vision pure.
How could a guy like this sell his soul to a book publisher?

About Me

I was diagnosed a Type 2 diabetic in 1986. I started a Very Low Carb diet (Atkins Induction) in 2002 to lose weight. I didn’t realize at the time that it would put my diabetes in clinical remission, or that I would be able to give up almost all of my oral diabetes meds. I also didn’t understand that, as I lost weight and continued to eat Very Low Carb, my blood lipids would dramatically improve (doubling my HDL and cutting my triglycerides by 2/3rds) and that my blood pressure would drop from 130/90 to 110/70 on the same meds.
Over the years I changed from Atkins to the Bernstein Diet (designed for diabetics) and, altogether lost 170 pounds. I later regained some and then lost some. As long as I eat Very Low Carb, I am not hungry and I have lots of energy. And I no longer have any of the indications of Metabolic Syndrome.
My goal, as long as I have excess body fat, is to remain continuously in a ketogenic state, both for blood glucose regulation and continued weight loss. I expect that this regimen will continue to provide the benefits of reduced systemic inflammation, improved blood lipids and lower blood pressure as well.